


Put a Ring On It

by mckinlily



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Accidental Marriage Proposals, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Black Paladin Shiro (Voltron), Cultural Misunderstandings, F/M, Mutual Pining, don't think canon can make me stop using that tag, non-canon compliant after s2 because who wants that anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-02-28 07:53:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18752182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mckinlily/pseuds/mckinlily
Summary: Shiro gives Allura a ring. Allura has no idea about the significance of rings in Earth culture. The other paladins DO. It goes about as well as you’d expect.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is set is some vague AU after season 2 where canon didn't epically fail and there is no Loin Swamp and Shiro and Allura didn't get their characters massively crapped on. Not that I'm still salty about that. Anyway, enjoy some fun, light-hearted Shallura shenanigans.

Shiro was well aware that, at the heart of it, the situation was entirely his fault. He could have changed course at any time and avoided it all, and he hadn’t. But Shiro still maintained that he hadn’t _intended_ any of it—it just got massively out of hand.     

Which really was par the course with Voltron. Shiro should have known better.

It started on Zonus. The people there were beetle-like, with hard exoskeletons and wings that come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Voltron had just successfully freed the planet from Galra control, but that victory was not without a cost. Zonus was a densely populated planet. Shiro had done what he could to keep the civilians safe, but Voltron was a giant weapon, not meant for delicate operations, and Shiro’s first priority would always be— _must_ always be—to keep his team alive first.

There had been collateral damage, as much as Shiro hated to think of it that way. A lot of it.

So Shiro lead his team down to the planetside to help with the rebuilding effort. Keith, Hunk, Pidge, and Lance were all growing so much and Shiro was tremendously proud of all of them, but they were growing up in a war. Shiro wanted them to remember what it was like to build and not destroy, to be able to help without having to hurt. He could never save their innocence (and part of him hated himself for that), but he could at least do what he could to preserve their humanity. So today that meant wading through the rubble they created—created to save the an entire planet, but still. Individual people were injured or killed, and the day that stopped hurting was the day they failed.

And Shiro was _so_ proud of the way his team had stepped up. Lance was in the middle of what used to be the town square, supposedly helping move debris, but really talking with the crowd gathered around him, sharing stories and listening to every expression of gratitude and grief and praise and pain people wanted to tell him. Keith had been irritated with him until Shiro quietly pointed out that not all damage was physical. Hunk likewise was chatting but in smaller groups as he helped shift large pieces of rubble searching for valuables, possessions, anything that could be salvaged, charming people with his down to earth compassion. Keith and Pidge weren’t great with people, but they were tackling the most difficult parts of the wreckage, working together to analyze and then safely defuse the buildings that had become dangerously unstable, working in tandem with a teamwork neither of them would have managed a year ago.

As for Shiro himself, he took an approach rather like Hunk’s: wandering the less traveled streets, offering his regrets on their loss, and looking for individual ways to help.

Honestly, Shiro felt a little guilty he got to be digging through these dusty, cracked streets. The people of Zonus were warm and friendly, but their political leaders were the stuffiest, strictest, most rigid group Shiro had had the misfortune to work with—and that included the worst of the top brass at the Garrison. They weren’t _un-_ friendly, per se, but they consistently set his teeth on edge with their refusal to speak plainly about _anything_.

When Shiro had expressed his desire to take his team to help with clean up, Allura had readily agreed. She had encouraged him to do all he could for the people of Zonus and assured him she could handle the negotiations on her own. And she would. Probably even better than if he were there, fighting not to express his irritation. Allura was a master diplomat and could summon up patience for the inefficiencies and posturing of politics that Shiro had never quite managed to stomach.

But that still left Allura locked indoors with stuffy politicians while the rest of them got to see the planet and meet its people. It was necessary and she would excel at it, but Shiro knew she had not chosen a fun job.

He was still thinking on her as he helped a mated pair dig out their shop. Human genders didn’t translate well onto aliens, but Shiro got the impression they were both female. The brighter colored one (Shiro had no idea whether that signified something to this species or not) was a jeweler and shyly requested Shiro to help her recover what wares she could.

“I know it’s silly,” she said. “You probably have much more important people to help.”

“It’s not silly.” Shiro considered the wreckage before him and activated his hand so that he could cut through the rebar and climb into the shop. “It’s your livelihood.”

“A very trivial livelihood, though,” said the jeweler. She followed Shiro to the make-shift entry to the shop, sitting on the edge of the rumble while Shiro climbed deeper inside. Her wings rubbed together in what Shiro suspected was a nervous gesture.

Little light filtered into the wreckage of the shop, but his armor gave him enough to see by. Shiro got to work unearthing a case of bangles and bracelets. The top was nearly cracked in two, but contents appeared to be in tact. Carefully, so that she wouldn’t get cut by the sharp edges, Shiro handed broken case to the jeweler.

“I don’t think so,” he said, picking back up the thread of their conversation. “People need more than just the necessities to survive.”

The jeweler made a buzzing sound that sounded pleased. “Tiskk said so as well,” she said. She continued speaking as Shiro bent back into her shop for more of her wares. “The Galra were very cruel and we had so little. I was worried I should quit and do something more useful. But Tiskk refused to let me. She said that _because_ of the Galra I must keep creating. People needed something beautiful.”

Shiro carefully and gingerly handed her her wares as he found them. “Your mate was right,” he said. “It is little things like that that give people hope.”

“You know about little hope, Black Paladin?” asked the jeweler.

It was strange: at times it felt like his year as a prisoner and as Champion was so consuming it all but defined him, and yet there were people who spoke to him as if they had no idea.

“I know the Galra,” was all Shiro replied.

The jeweler started rubbing her wings together again. “You are fighting the Galra,” she said carefully, as if this was something she hadn’t fully considered before. “You must see a great deal of pain and destruction. Where do you turn to for beautiful things?”

Shiro started at the question. His first thought was the Black Lion: the most beautiful vessel he had ever seen, and the connection they had, so deep that even right now he could feel it resonate in his soul.

“I have my team,” he said. “And our allies. We—” Something sparkly caught his eye and he broke off. “Oh _wow._ ”

“What? What is it?” asked the jeweler eagerly.

“Hold on a minute,” said Shiro. It took some time and very careful maneuvering, but Shiro was able extract the case that had caught his eye, though the glass that had covered it was shattered beyond repair. He brought it up to the light where both he and the jeweler could observe them. She buzzed excitedly.

“Oh, yes. Those are _katskva_ stones. You have very good taste, Black Paladin.”

“They’re beautiful,” said Shiro.

The gems reminded him a bit of opals, with the shifting colors, coming mostly in blue and white, but they seemed to shimmer and glow in a way that didn’t completely come from the light hitting them.

“They are mined in the Kitshu Mountains and can only be harvested three days out of the year or else they lose their quint-glow and become dull like any other stones.”’

“Incredible,” said Shiro. He glanced at the jeweler. “Can I touch them?”

Her buzz turned into a thumping hum. “Oh yes! When _katskva_ stones are harvested correctly they are incredibly durable. There is only a short time frame during which one can even cut or polish them because they become so impenetrable.”

Shiro ran his fingers over the gems. They were exquisite. The artistry was excellent, and each one of them had a tiny sense of _something_ that reminded Shiro just barely of what he felt whenever he touched Black. The jeweler told him of the history and the craft of the entire box, but Shiro found himself drawn to one particular piece. It was a ring, maybe big enough to fit on his pinky finger, made of some sort of silver metal. The _katskva_ stone was cut to lay flat against the setting. The design was simple, but the stone was not. It was sky blue with flecks of pink and sparkles of every other color and seemed to glow with so much light it seemed impossible something so small could contain it.

It took Shiro a minute to realize what the colors reminded him of, and then he quickly set it down, his cheeks hot.

Unfortunately, the jeweler noticed his attention. “Do you like that one?” she asked, excited.

“It is very beautiful,” said Shiro.

“If you like it, you must have it,” said the jeweler.

“Oh no,” protested Shiro. “I couldn’t.”

The  _katskva_ stone was _exactly_ the colors of Allura’s eyes. No way he could walk into the Castle ship with that. He could _not._

“I’m sure it’s far too very valuable,” he added.

“Not as valuable as the freedom of our planet,” pressed the jeweler.

“I can’t let you,” repeated Shiro, even as his traitorous mind drew up a memory from months ago and Allura’s voice, _“Oh, but I’d love something sparkly!_ ”

The jeweler picked up the ring and pressed in towards Shiro’s chest. “It is a small thing, after all you have done for the universe. And for our planet. Please, take it as token of our gratitude.”

He shouldn’t. He really, really, _really_ should not.

But he thought of Allura, stuck in a room with all the politicians, and the way she lit up when she got excited, and he felt his resolve crumble.

“I cannot take it for myself,” said Shiro. “But…” He really shouldn’t do this. “But if you would be willing, I would like to take it for the Princess of Altea.” Sensing the jeweler’s surprise, he pressed on quickly. “She is the leader of the Voltron Coalition and has done more for the universe than anyone. Unfortunately, she hasn’t been able to visit your planet with the rest of us, so I would like to take a little piece of it back to her.”

The jeweler buzzed off the ground in her excitement. “Oh yes! Yes yes yes! Take it to the Princess and tell her of our admiration and gratitude. Please, you MUST!”

Shiro chuckled and took it. “I will. I promise.”

 

And so it was that Shiro walked onto the Castle with a hole burning in his pocket. Like the rest of the paladins, he was tired and dirty after a long day of work, but it was mostly good. He let the others argue and bicker as they fought for turns in the shower, instead checking in with Coran and getting an update on their launch coordinates. Allura was on the bridge, but Coran had indicated she needed some time to decompress. Negotiations had gone well, it seemed, if maddeningly tedious. So Shiro took time change out of his uniform, raid the kitchen, and freshen up before seeking her out.

“Shiro!” cried Allura as soon as he stepped onto the bridge. She smiled at him, and Shiro’s heart did that fluttery/ache thing that he had come to accept was just part of living within her sphere of influence.

“Hello, Princess,” he smiled. “I hear the negotiations went well?”

“They went,” she sighed. “And then they went a great deal longer. But they’re over now, and I believe Zonus will be a good addition to the Coalition. I trust things went well for you and the paladins as well?”

“As well as can be expected,” assured Shiro. “It was difficult work and I wish we could have done more, but I think we did some good today.”

Allura placed her on his bicep, and Shiro tried very hard not to pay attention to how he was paying _way_ too much attention to the touch.

“You always do good, Shiro,” she assured him. “Even when you don’t realize it.”

The problem with crushing on Allura (who was he kidding? It was way past a crush at this point) but the problem was that he knew he needed to keep distance between them—keep his heart under wraps or at least from getting hurt. But it was difficult when being around her just made him feel _good_. So much of the darkness and the weight and the responsibility that was threatening to crush him lifted when she was around. He always came to her with the intent to lift, support, help, and yet every time, _she_ was the one who ended up comforting _him_.

Allura removed her hand from his arm, and Shiro cleared his throat.

"Thank you,” he said because arguing with her about how much _less_ than good he was capable of felt rude. He changed the subject. “I’m sorry you couldn’t see the rest of the planet with us.”

Allura sighed softly. “It is too bad,” she confessed. “I would have liked to come with you. But the Coalition comes first, and I’m pleased with our new allies.”

“I, um—” Shiro felt like there was something stuck in his throat and coughed to dislodge it. “Let me try that again.”

Allura politely folded her hands in front of her and waited.

“I brought a little of it to you?” Shiro sounded far less certain than he wanted to. His ears felt hot and his heart was pounding, but he tried not to let it show as he fumbled to get the ring out his pocket. “I met a jeweler on planet, and they offered this to me. It’s _katskva_ stone. It reminded me of you and, um, you said you liked sparkly things—”

Allura uncurled his fingers so she could have a better look at the ring (luckily his Galra fingers, so his brain wasn’t _completely_ thrown into overdrive) and gasped.

“Oh, Shiro, it’s beautiful!”

Shiro fought back a blush. “Do you want it?”

Allura clasped her hands in front of her chest. She was looking at him instead of the ring. “Did you really think of me?” she said, her eyes shining.

It seemed like she was asking something more, but Shiro couldn’t possibly think of what else she meant and it wasn’t like he had another response, so he answered honestly.

“Yes. Of course.” Feeling either very stupid or very brave, Shiro added, “Would you like me to put it on?”

Allura bit her lip and nodded eagerly.

And look, it just so _happened_ that the hand Shiro picked up was her left and it just _made sense_ put the ring on her third finger, where it looked even more beautiful nestled against her dark skin. Allura lifted her hand out of Shiro’s and held it up to the light.

“It’s  _so_ sparkly!” she beamed.

“I hoped you’d like it,” said Shiro.

So, yeah. The situation was definitely, absolutely, one hundred percent Shiro’s fault, and he had no one to blame but himself. But he still maintained that he was an innocent party here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always feel like Shallura doesn't get enough fun in the ship. This is an attempt to rectify that. The story is entirely written out, and I will posting as I get the chapters in a condition ready for posting. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated!! <3


	2. Chapter 2

Allura kept the ring on for the rest of the evening, and in the morning, she slipped it on with her earrings. It was a silly thing—just a little ring from a far off planet. Before she had been put into stasis, she had had whole rooms devoted to jewels and gems—so many that she often forgot about them all. A single ring, even a very pretty one, was nothing compared to that. It was incredibly simple, so much so that back on Altea no one would have dared present it to a princess.

But Shiro had given it to her. He’s _thought_ of her while he was away and remembered her and brought it back for her. It could have been absolutely hideous, and Allura would have still loved it. But of course it wasn’t. It was a stunning combination of beauty and practicality that seemed to fit Shiro perfectly. And, Allura was only slightly surprised to realize, fit her rather well these days as well.

So Allura considered the ring a nice trinket. An indulgence, though one she was quite found of. She had nearly forgotten the weight was even on her hand until she wandered into the kitchen looking for breakfast after finishing her morning reports.

In a rare moment of punctuality, all the younger paladins were awake at this hour—or, at least, had made their way to the kitchen. Pidge was at the table, present but not doing much besides dully watching the _nutrien_ (NOT “food goo” thank you very much) drip off her spoon, and Keith seemed much in a similar state while Hunk was engrossed in the fruits he’d picked up on Zonus. Shiro was missing, likely already engrossed in preparations for the day, so it was Lance who greeted her first.

“Hey, Princess, y—WOAH! Where’d you get that?!”

Lance was staring at her finger. Shiro had been right: the ring was _very_ sparkly. Allura supposed that made it a bit noticeable. Allura had noted Earthling didn’t seem to glow as much as Alteans. 

Allura smiled, remembering the evening before. “Shiro gave it me.”

Allura expected compliments, appreciation of the ring’s beauty, _maybe_ a show of jealousy (Lance had been doing so much better lately but you never knew). What Allura did _not_ expect was for every single one of the paladins to whip around, staring at her like she had suggested she would eat a klamriel.

“Wait. WHAT?!”

“Keith, did you know about this?” demanded Pidge.

“I can’t believe he didn’t tell us,” sniffed Hunk.

Keith was staring at her hand like it was a distress signal he needed to decode.

Allura brought her hand—with the ring—uncomfortably close to her chest. She had thought the ring was a cute gesture, a token of friendship and appreciation. She had meant to treasure it as she privately treasured so many of her moments with Shiro. But if it meant something in his culture—

“I don’t understand,” she confessed. “Is it bad?”

“What? No! Nononnonono,” said Lance, way too quickly to be comforting.

Pidge adjusted her glasses, studying Allura carefully. “How did he give it to you?”

Allura blinked. “Is that important?”

“YES,” said Hunk and Lance at the same time. And the same volume. The rest of the table winced. 

“With his hands, I believe.” _He said he thought of me._ “He remembered I like sparkly things.”

Lance groaned and collapsed dramatically onto the table.

“Oh,” said Hunk. He looked rather disappointed. “I suppose that makes sense.”

Allura twisted the ring around her finger. Just ticks ago it had felt like such an innocent thing. Now it felt heavy again. “But it _does_ mean something,” she clarified.

Keith had finally stopped staring. “It means whatever Shiro said it means,” he said firmly. He sent a glare at the other paladins. “Shiro’s not an _asshole_.”

“Well, yes, of course we know that,” said Hunk.

Pidge snorted. “Still doesn’t mean he—” Suddenly, Lance launched himself across the table to smash his hands over her mouth. “Mmphf! LANCE!”

“Do NOT finish that,” said Lance, shooting a terrified look at the open door. “Last time I tried that joke, Shiro made me run for _hours._ ”

“Not as bad as the time that Shiro made me do the salmon ladder,” said Keith.

Lance’s eyes widened with something almost like respect. “What did you _do_?”

Keith just smirked and went back to his breakfast.

Allura fiddled with her ring. She had been so sure it meant nothing. A trivial gift, though it touched her heart. Surely Shiro wouldn’t saddle her with anything _bad_ , would he?

 

“You’re still wearing the ring.”

It was hard to tell if Shiro was pleased or surprised. He had slid next to her when others had left after their coordination meeting with the Blades, and it was the first time they were alone together since the evening before.

Allura  _was_ still wearing the ring. She had decided Keith had a point: whatever the ring’s meaning in Earth culture, she needed to talk to Shiro about it directly. Until then, she was a bit afraid to take it off in case it _did_ mean something and she accidently offended him. It seemed strange to her that Shiro wouldn’t explain if that were the case, but perhaps he hadn’t realized she didn’t know.

“I am,” she said. In less than a day, she had developed a habit of twiddling with it when she was nervous. It took real effort not to spin the ring around her finger and instead clasp both hands politely in front of her waist. “Shiro, I wanted to ask you a question about it, actually.”

Shiro looked surprised and…possibly nervous. Was that a good sign or a bad one?

“Uh, sure. Fire away.”

“When I came in for breakfast this morning, the other paladins seemed…surprised.” That was the most diplomatic way to put it. “Especially when I said you gave it to me.”

For a moment, Shiro looked as confused as she was. Then, his gaze dipped down to where the ring was sitting on her finger, and he dropped his face into his hand. “ _That’s_ what they were going on about,” he groaned.

Allura waited for an explanation, but none seemed forthcoming. The more the paladins failed to give her a straight answer, the more nervous she became about it. And Shiro who was normally so helpful about navigating Earth culture too!

“I’m afraid I’m missing something,” said Allura. “Are rings of particular significance in your culture?”

Shiro pulled his face out of his hands. His ears were red, which Allura found fascinating. They were already such a strange shape and to turn colors, too!

Shiro rubbed the back of his neck. “In general? No. They’re just…rings. Jewelry. People wear them because they like them or they don’t. But, uh, I guess there is one context where a ring means quite a lot. That’s what the other paladins jumped to.”

Allura bit her lip. “Oh dear. Did I do it wrong?”

“No no no!” said Shiro quickly. “They—ah.” Shiro closed his eyes and groaned. “They were making fun of me. That’s all.”

“Are you quite certain?”

Shiro pulled a face. “Definitely.”

Well, that seemed to clear up at least part of Allura’s concerns. But also brought up others. She pursed her lips. “I am not certain how I feel about the others making fun of you,” she said rather sternly.

But Shiro just laughed. “No, no. It’s not like that. It’s—it’s teasing. A bit annoying, but I’d be more worried if they didn’t. I’d be afraid they weren’t comfortable with me.”

“Oh! It’s social bonding!”

“Yep. A very annoying form of social bonding.” But Shiro sounded fond. He tilted his head at her, and a light sparked in his dark eyes. “Speaking of—how would you like to help me come up with ideas for tomorrow’s training?”

“I thought the others described my training methods as ‘terrifying’,” said Allura, with the start of a smile.

“The challenge will be good for them,” said Shiro. He grinned. “Besides, who says the teasing can only go one way?”

Allura felt her heart flip. As much as she loved her stalwart, steadfast and honorable Black Paladin, it was moments like these that were often her favorites: when Shiro let down his walls to reveal the mischievous boy he still was despite it all. It was so hard to resist whatever he was saying when his eyes were dancing like that. Not that Allura really wanted to.

“I believe I may have a few ideas,” she said, matching Shiro’s grin with her own. “There are a few simulations we haven’t introduced you to yet.”

Shiro grinned. “Perfect.”

 

Needless to say, the training was a success on multiple fronts.

(The paladins were collapsed in various positions on the training deck with complaints of “I told you pushing him would go badly” and “Who’s idea was it to clue in Shiro?”)

(Shiro himself had actually participated in the training as well, but he had the benefit of having walked through it all with Allura the night before—Not that he let the others know. And yet, he had still taken the time to make sure the training was beneficial for everyone. The amount of individual care and attention Shiro showed his team, even when they annoyed him, never ceased to awe Allura.)

And now Shiro was on the observation deck with her, helping Allura put everything to rights after the training session (and quietly laughing over the comments from his team when they thought he couldn’t hear them). They worked in tandem, not needing words to see what was needed and getting it done. They worked well together like that. Allura had just finished putting all the training systems into standby and decided to break the silence.

“Just to be clear,” she said to sooth the last of her fears. “It is absolutely all right for me to wear your ring?”

Shiro choked. Allura patted him on the back as she had seen the other Earthlings do. Or—Perhaps she put too much force into it because Shiro nearly face planted into the control panel.

“I—ah—thanks, Allura,” he wheezed as he pushed himself upright again.

Allura immediately put her hands behind her back and tried not to feel too embarrassed.

Shiro seemed to take a few ticks to get his bearings again, and then he coughed. “It’s yours,” he said. “You can wear it or not. Whatever you want.”

“Do you _want_ me to wear it?” Allura pressed.

Shiro didn’t answer, but his cheeks started to go pink (adorable) and that settled it.

“Very well. I will continue to wear it.” She smiled. “I really appreciate you thinking of me, Shiro.”

Shiro made an aborted sound in the back of his throat, but Allura figured it was just left over from his earlier choking episode and thought nothing of it.

 

Though unintentional, Allura fell into the habit of wearing Shiro’s ring every day. At first it made her happy every time she thought of it, and then it started to just feel wrong to _not_ wear it. And yet, the more the ring became a fixture in her daily life, the more Allura began to feel things were a bit…unbalanced. Clearly, rings _did_ mean something in Earth culture, though the paladins had stopped teasing her and Shiro had at least calmed her fears she was doing something inappropriate with hers. More than that, thinking of her while she was stuck in negotiations was _such_ a thoughtful thing to do. If anyone deserved that kind of thoughtfulness returned, it was Shiro.

The problem was coming up with what to do for him. Allura still had some jewels from Altea that had made it into stasis with her, including a few royal heirlooms, but most of them where too much for _her_ to wear most the time, let alone someone as practical-minded as Shiro. Besides, Allura wanted to give him something as individual and personal as what he had given her. And meaningful to him in his own culture, too, if she could manage it.

Allura had expected her search to take some time, but only two movements later a shop caught her eye. They were on a swap moon (Space Mall 2.0 according to the paladins) collecting supplies and simply taking the moment to have a chance to breathe and not worry about having to fight a war for a few varga. Hunk and Pidge were already absorbed digging through scrap metal and Coran was attempting to haggle with the AI that ran the mall directory, but Shiro was only a few feet away, shopping basket in one hand, the other clamped firmly on Keith’s shoulder who had been deemed incapable of traveling on his own after accidentally starting a knife fight with a local stuffed animal vendor. Allura needed a plan.

“ _Lance!_ ” she hissed.

Lance paused in his attempts to make eyes at two female patrons across the square. “Yes, Princess?” he grinned.

“I need you to distract Shiro,” she said seriously.

Lance’s eyes went wide. He nodded and scrambled to obey with more urgency than Allura had ever seen from him even in battle. Two doshbashes later, she heard Shiro’s distinctive, “ _LANCE!_ ” followed by the sound of something shattering.

Mentally apologizing to Shiro and promising to make it up to him later, Allura slipped unnoticed into the shop.

 

Allura waited until the others had dispersed for the Castle night cycle to track Shiro down. She found him in the kitchen, putting away the last their supplies.

“Oh, you should have got us to help you!” she cried, hurrying to unpack the last of the boxes, but Shiro snatched the contents away from her before she could.

“I don’t mind,” he said with a smile. “Besides, everyone knows I’m useless at everything else in the kitchen.”

“Only because you humans insist on making your meals so ridiculously complicated,” huffed Allura.

Shiro shook his head. “I still can’t believe that your people developed wormholes and faster than light travel and yet the height of your cuisine is _food goo_.”

“ _Nutrien_ is NOT ‘food goo’ and it is HIGHLY—!”

Allura broke off because Shiro was laughing. He didn’t laugh nearly enough. He looked younger and lighter when he did, and Allura wanted to wrap him up in her arms where no one could ever hurt him again.

Shiro had returned to putting away the last of the supplies. Allura tried not to be too obvious about watching the way the muscles of his back moved underneath the stupidly tight shirt he persisted in wearing. This even after Allura had offered him the Castle’s manufacturing services precisely to _avoid_ this kind of problem. Shiro shot her a crooked smile under one of his out-stretched arms.

“Did you need me for something, Princess?”

Allura forgot how to breathe for a second and had to rapidly relocate her lungs before she could speak. _Come on, Allura! You’re better than this!_

“It is more that I have something _for_ you.”

Shiro shut the last cupboard door. “Oh?”

She had his undivided attention, and Allura felt surprisingly flustered under it. Her mouth started moving before her brain quite managed to catch up.

“I-I really appreciated you thinking of me while on Zonus. And the ring you gifted me is beautiful. You deserve it, too. That is—” She had _practiced_ this. Why had it all slipped away from her now? “You do so much for this team, for universe,” she persisted. “As the Black Paladin, you are the glue that holds us together and a beacon of hope to all who know you. I know it’s silly, but I wanted to gift you something in return. I-I hope this is not inappropriate.”

With shaky fingers, Allura extracted her purchase from the crinkled paper it had been wrapped in and extended it to Shiro.

It was a ring. From a distance, it appeared to be a solid black band, almost insultingly simple, but set inside the band in a continuous circle was _niquilst_ crystal. A closer look revealed tiny pinpricks of light scattered along the black and spirals of deeper colors in blue and purple. A galaxy in miniature.

Shiro didn’t say anything. His eyes were wide and there was a hint of pink over his cheeks, but beyond that Allura couldn’t make out what he was thinking.

“I hope I haven’t done anything untoward?” Allura struggled to keep her nervousness out of her voice. “I wished to return your generosity. Gifting in kind seemed appropriate but of course if I have stepped over any boundaries—”

“You didn’t have to do that,” said Shiro softly. His eyes searched her face for a time. “And of course, you’ve done nothing wrong.” He reached for the ring. “Can I?”

Allura nodded anxiously, and Shiro lifted his ring to the light.

“Oh! They move!” he said with boyish delight

“The  _niquilst_ crystal is a crystaline lattice with a viscous liquid in its core and is very sensitive to both thermal and quintessence gradients so you never see the same pattern twice.”

“Amazing,” said Shiro. Turning the ring in the light, he smiled. “They look like constellations.”

“You said you liked to look at the stars,” murmured Allura.

Shiro brought his hand back down. “Allura.” His voice was thick. “I…I don’t have the words…”

“Would you like to wear it?” asked Allura eagerly. Now that she knew Shiro liked it, she was impatient to shower him with her gift.

“Of course,” said Shiro.

Allura pounced on him. She snatched the ring and grabbed Shiro’s natural hand, eager to place the ring on his finger just as he had done for her.

“Oh—Wait. Hold on a sec.”

Allura stared at Shiro anxiously (what had she done wrong?) until she saw he was tugging at the bindings of his glove and then her heart started beating very fast. Hands weren’t actually scandalous, _Coran_ , but to see Shiro willingly removing clothing for her, even something as insignificant as a glove, sent something swinging wildly in her chest.

Shiro pulled off his glove and gave his hand back to her. Allura tried not to pay too much attention to how it felt, strong and solid, in hers. Or the scratch of the calluses along his fingers or the way his skin felt warmer and finer textured than her own. Meanwhile, the other half of her brain was trying to burn the sensation into her memory forever. All too soon, she had finished sliding the ring onto his finger and had to let go.

“There you go. Do you like it?”

“Like it?” said Shiro, sounding breathless. “It’s incredible.”

“Much like yourself,” said Allura. Unable to stop herself, she grabbed his hands, both the metal one and the newly uncovered one of flesh. “Shiro, you are so incredibly important to everything we do. I hope whenever you look at the ring you will remember what you mean to the universe—and to me, personally.”

“I, ah, you too,” said Shiro, dazed.

Allura giggled. “It’s getting late. You sound tired.”

Shiro scrubbed his face with his hands. “Oh yeah. That’s definitely what’s happening here.”

“Then get to bed!” chided Allura. She spun to the door. “Good night, Shiro!”

“…’Night, Princess.”

Allura left humming to herself. Overall, she thought that had all gone pretty well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rest in pieces Shiro xD


	3. Chapter 3

Surprisingly, it was Keith who noticed first.

“Shiro, why are you wearing a ring?”

Shiro breathed out and set his shoulders. “Allura gave it to me.”

Lance’s spit-take cleared the breakfast table.

“She WHAT?”

Allura looked up from comforting a food goo covered Platt. “Since Shiro gave me a ring, I wanted to show my appreciation for all he does by doing the same,” she explained.

Lance groaned loudly. “Ugggggggggh. At this rate we’re all going to end of owing Pidge a fortune when we get back to Earth.”

“Wait. You guys have a _betting pool_?” said Shiro.

“It’s really the least invasive thing we could do,” said Hunk.

“I suggested a closet,” said Pidge. “But Keith said that was a bad idea.”

“ _Thank_ you, Keith—”

“Only because I didn’t think dark, enclosed spaces would get Shiro in the mood—”

“ALL RIGHT,” interrupted Shiro. His eyebrows came down. “Five laps around the training deck. All of you.”

“What?!”

“ _All_ of us?” cried Hunk. “I didn’t do anything!”

Shiro raised his eyebrows. “You expect me to believe you weren’t enabling?”

“Oh, come _on_ , Shiro!” wheedled Lance. “It’s just one little joke. You can’t expect—”

“Six, Lance.” Shiro folded his across his chest. “Or I could hand off today’s training to Allura.”

“Uh-oh. Dad just called in Mom.”

“ _Eight_ , Pidge.”

“All right!” Keith kicked his chair back as he stood up and dragging Lance along with him. “C’mon. Once Shiro gets like this we’re never going to win. Let’s get this over with.”

“Also Allura totally doesn’t have to take over training today,” added Hunk in a rapid, high-pitched voice as he grabbed hold of Pidge. “Really!”

Together, two of them being forcefully dragged by the others, the younger paladins beat a hasty retreat.

Allura pouted. “I’m not that scary, am I?”

 

Whatever the younger paladins might have to say about it, over the next few movements very little changed. Voltron fought in battles, freed planets, investigated the Galra’s new source of quintessence. In their downtime, Allura noticed that Shiro had carefully cut his glove so that he could wear his ring comfortably at all times. It made her heart skip a beat every time she saw he was _still wearing it_ , and she secretly treasured the connection the rings represented between them. This was something that only they had; it was proof that she was important to Shiro and he was important to her—beyond just their roles as the Princess of Altea and the Black Paladin. And if sometimes, in the dark of the night when Allura was too weak to resist, she wished it was something _more_ …

Well, the point was moot. They were fighting a war. They had responsibilities to fill. And it was unlikely Shiro would ever look at her that way, anyway. The last thing Allura was expecting was for any of that to change.

Allura’s ring was a familiar, comforting weight on her finger when the paladins settled in for one of Pidge’s Pirate Movies (at least, Allura thought that was the term, although very few of the movies seemed to actually include pirates). Lance had just come out of the healing pod and though the terrifying head wound he had sported when Shiro and Hunk rushed him out of the Blue Lion was nothing more than a memory, the paladins had firmly declared the day a movie day and even let Lance pick the movie.

A decision they quickly seemed to regret because Lance took _forever_ to choose. And when he did—

“ _That_ one?” said Pidge.

“If you don’t like it then why is on your computer, huh?” argued Lance.

“I downloaded Matt’s entire library because it was easier than just picking out the good stuff,” said Pidge. “Doesn’t mean he has any taste. And that movie is _cheesy_.”

“Really? I thought it was good,” said Hunk.

“Yeah, but you’re a sap,” Keith pointed out.

“This coming from the guy who made us watch _UP_.”

“I forget about the beginning!”

“ _And_ made us all cry through _Lilo & Stitch_.”

“Oh hey, does that make Shiro Nani?” said Hunk.

Pidge snickered. “Oh no. Keith is _definitely_ Stitch.”

As Keith spluttered in protest, Shiro pushed himself up from where he had been slouched in the couch letting the others bicker among themselves.

“Sorry, buddy, but it’s true,” he said, and causing Keith to send him a betrayed glared and others to roar with laughter. He finally took a look at the movie up on Pidge’s computer.

“Oh hey, I like that one.”

“You do?!” said Lance.

Shiro shrugged with a wry grin. “Sure. That movie was pretty much my bi awakening.”

“Oh man. Oh _man_ ,” cried Lance. “It totally is! They’re both so _hot_.”

Shiro flashed a sharp smile. “Exactly.”

Keith flopped back on the couch next to Pidge. “Looks like we’re outnumbered.”

“Allura, Coran—you guys are joining us, right?” said Hunk.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world!” cried Coran, leaping enthusiastically to land between Keith and Pidge and nearly launching Pidge out of her seat with the force of it.

Allura took a more sedate approach, curling her legs under her as she sat next to Hunk.

“Will I need much explanation to understand this one?” she asked him.

“Um, it’s a romantic comedy, so the humor probably isn’t going to translate very well,” he said apologetically. “But the romance should be pretty universal? I think? I’m sorry we don’t have anything better for you guys.”

“Don’t apologize, Hunk. This is for Lance,” said Allura. “And besides I am happy to learn more about Earth culture.”

“Yeah, well, don’t take this one _too_ seriously,” said Hunk. He leaned over to whisper in Allura’s ear. “Don’t tell Pidge, but it is a _little_ cheesy.”

Allura nodded very seriously, promising not to tell, and settled in to watch the movie. Hunk was right: there were a number references she didn’t catch and most the time she had no idea why the paladins were laughing. There was also a number of complications to the plot that she didn’t understand either, and none of it was helped by the fact that Lance couldn’t resist commenting every doshbash or two and Keith, despite claiming the movie wasn’t “his thing”, had to answer or correct Lance _every time_. But the characters were vivid, and before she knew it, Allura was drawn into the two leads’ epic struggle in the name of truth love. So much so that by the time the worst of the barriers had been overcome and they were nearing the story’s climax (“Oooo! The romantic music is swelling!” “Shut _up_ , Lance!”), Allura was on the edge of her seat, hands clutched tightly in front of her chest.

The two leads were speaking, skirting around their love for each other but not _actually_ saying it. And then the male lead took the plunge, confessing how he cared for the other, that he’d been in love her since practically the moment he first saw her, that he never wanted anyone else—

And then for some unknown reason, he knelt in front of her. Allura wondered if he had been injured when she noticed he was holding a small black box out to his love. Allura felt a bit annoyed. What did that have to do with anything? And in the middle of a love confession too!

One the screen, the female lead seemed overjoyed. There was shouting and kissing, and Allura was still waiting for a conclusion. But the camera panned out to black, and _what happened to the love confession?_

Hunk was wiping his eyes. “Aw, so good. Gets me every time.”

“Me too, big guy,” sniffed Lance. “Me too.”

Allura, meanwhile, was filled with unreasonable fury. “That’s _IT_?!”

“Well, yeah,” said Pidge. “They get married, have beautiful kids, blah blah blah, happily ever after.”

“They get married?! When did that happen?” demanded Allura.

“Uh, that last scene?” said Keith. “They got engaged?”

“OH!” said Hunk suddenly. “OH! You don’t know about proposals, do you?”

Lance nodded with understanding. “Yeah, that explains it.”

“Explains what?” said Allura. “What do you mean by proposals?”

Allura automatically looked to Shiro as he normally was the best one for explaining Earth culture to her. But he wasn’t looking at her, and his face was suspiciously blank.

“Um, so when two people want to get married, one of them will normally ‘propose’ to the other and ask them to marry them,” explained Hunk. “And where we’re from at least, that normally means the guy—Well, it doesn’t have to be the guy. It can be a woman. Or you can have two guys getting married too. ANYWAY. Whoever is proposing gets an engagement ring for their partner and it’s become such a thing that basically just giving a ring to someone is short hand for proposing.”

“A ring?” repeated Allura. Her gaze cut automatically to Shiro who—quite uncharacteristically—seemed to be trying to sink into the cushions of the couch.

Lance’s gaze followed hers, and he seemed to pick up on her thinking exactly. “Yep!” he said cheerfully. “Especially when you wear it here.” He held up his left hand and pinched the third finger.

Exactly where Allura was currently wearing hers.

Shiro abruptly stood up. “I’m going to see what options we have for dinner.”

His exit might have felt natural if he wasn’t gone before anyone had a chance to answer. Or hadn’t been carefully avoiding looking at Allura as he did.

“Uh, do you think Shiro was actually serious about dinner?” Hunk asked the room after a minute.

“Probably,” said Keith. “Why?”

Hunk answered with a loud groan while Pidge snickered.

“Say goodbye to your neat kitchen, Hunk.”

“Yeah, no. I’m not letting this happen.”

“I’ll come with you,” offered Keith.

Pidge just shrugged and become engrossed in her laptop. Meanwhile Coran had dragged Lance into rehashing the pop culture references in the movie they had just watched, which meant Allura was relatively alone to digest the question sitting on her finger.

A proposal _._

_Marriage._


	4. Chapter 4

Allura avoided Shiro for much of the next day. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk to him, but she wanted her thoughts in order before she did and there was a lot to think about. Shiro had admitted there was a context where rings were meaningful, but she hadn’t thought that meant _marriage._ The other paladins’ reactions certainly made more sense in hindsight. Oddly, their teasing hadn’t picked up again now that Allura had obviously been clued in, and Allura wasn’t sure that was a good thing or not.

But mostly Allura wasn’t worried about the younger paladins. Her thoughts circled continuously around Shiro. And although she had been confused and even a little unsettled at first, she had known how she felt surprising quickly. It was working out the implications and finding the words she wanted that consumed the remaining time.

Allura had considered meeting on the bridge, but that felt too impersonal, so instead she sent a message to Shiro asking him to meet her on the observation deck. It was his favorite place on the ship, she knew. Shiro spent many hours there, watching the stars. Frequently with Keith at his side but just as often on his own.

“You wanted to see me, Princess?”

Shiro was straight-backed and proper as usual, but his hands kept fidgeting. Sliding down his thighs, tucking into his pockets, hooking on his belt. Nervous. The poor man was nervous, and his ring caught the light with every movement of his left hand. Allura wanted to capture those hands and press kisses to his fingers, but the time wasn’t right yet.

“Come in,” smiled Allura. “I thought we should talk.”

Shiro rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t look any less nervous. “Right. We should.” He took a deep breath and finally looked at her. “I should start with I’m sorry.”

“Nonsense,” said Allura. “I should be the one apologizing.”

Shiro stared. “ _You_ should apologize?”

“Of course,” said Allura. She folded her hands in front of her. “I did not understand the significance of rings in your culture, and I am afraid I reacted poorly. I had no way of knowing what my actions were saying, and although neither of us are precisely at fault for that, I still feel responsible for what pain I caused, however unintentionally.”

Because that was what Allura kept thinking back on since the paladins’ revelation after the movie. Shiro had come to her, _with a ring,_ a symbol so potent in his culture that their movies didn’t even consider an explanation necessary, offering a proposal for marriage and at least hoping for a favorable answer—and Allura hadn’t even _acknowledged_ it. She had called it pretty and treated it like some frivolous trinket. And of course Shiro—kind, gentle Shiro—didn’t push it once she made it clear she wasn’t interested, but she could only imagine how it must felt every time to see what was supposed to be symbol of their union dangling from her finger like a toy.

And then she’d given him a ring back, talking about how she appreciated his work as the _leader of Voltron_ , and it must have felt like she was throwing the entire thing back in his face. She had no idea how Shiro stomached his heartbreak so well, but it must have been killing him. It hurt Allura to imagine how much she must have hurt him without knowing it.

“Allura, you don’t—”

“I wasn’t finished yet,” said Allura sharply, and Shiro shut up.

It took a deep breath to gather her courage for next part, but Allura was determined. “I do wish I had understood better from the beginning, but I have thought it over and—” another deep breath “—I have invited you here to say I accept.”

Shiro stared at her blankly. “Accept?”

“Your proposal for marriage,” clarified Allura. “I accept.”

Shiro’s eyes bugged out.

"Wait. WHAT?”

“I admit it is rather sudden,” said Allura. “But it seems that human courtships are quite rapid, and—”

“You want to _marry me_?!” interrupted Shiro.

“Well, yes,” said Allura. “I cannot imagine anyone as noble and honorable as you, who I trust as much or—” Allura’s cheeks grew hot “—or who I care for as deeply,” she finished in a murmur. “I can see no reason why I would _not_ want to marry you.”

“I…I…” Normally so composed and articulate Shiro seemed lost for words. His scrubbed his face with both hands and shook his bangs out of his eyes. “Wow, this is…” He looked back at her. “Allura, I’m afraid there’s a been a misunderstanding.”

Misunderstanding?

Ice cracked in her veins. Oh no. Please don’t mean—

“Did you not _want_ to marry me?”  

Shiro didn’t answer, but he didn’t have to.

Allura’s heart plunged to the bottom on her feet, leaving pain and debris in its wake. He hadn’t—

“I’m so sorry,” gasped Allura, mortified. “I misunderstood. I apologize—”

“Allura, wait—”

But Allura couldn’t stay here. In less than a day— She had discovered her Black Paladin loved her, wanted to marry her, finally admitted to herself that _she_ loved _him_ , and for a handful of (blissful, wonderful) hours, believed she was going to marry him. Her heart was breaking, and she couldn’t stand to be in the same room as Shiro as she fell apart over him. Especially when he would be so kind while still rejecting her.

“I need to—”

“Wait!” Shiro caught her by the elbow. “Please,” he said. “ _Allura_.”

And Allura couldn’t move no matter how much she wanted to, not when he said her name like that. Not when he was so close. His eyes searched her face, asking a question. Slowly enough that Allura could pull away if she wanted to, he cupped her cheek and bent down. But she didn’t, and…

He kissed her. Firm. Soft. _Shiro_. She had dreamed of this so many times, and for a moment she forgot about everything else, except _Shiro was kissing her_. His thumb brushed against her _cellica_ mark below her eye just before he pulled away, and Allura swallowed a needy sigh of disappointment.

Shiro pulled away but stayed close, breath dusting her cheek. Allura’s lips were tingling. She might have seen stars. All her emotions were high, elevated… Uncertain.

“Is that—is that romantic?” she asked.

Shiro laughed. Before she could get offended, he pressed his forehead against hers. “Yes,” he said, warm and affectionate. “That is _definitely_ romantic.”

Feeling was returning to her fingers as light tingles. She pressed back against Shiro’s forehead. She wanted to melt into him, but—

“But you don’t want to marry me.” 

“Allura.  _Allura._ ” Shiro brought his other hand up to cup her face with both hands. He pulled back again and seemed to lose track of what he was saying just looking at her. His thumb brushed against her _cellica_ mark again. Allura shivered, and Shiro shook himself.

“I wanted to make you happy,” he said. “I saw the ring, and I remembered you liked sparkly things and I just wanted to make you happy. I knew the romantic conations—heck, just a man giving a woman _any_ jewelry is considered romantic—but I never expected you to find out. I never thought you would welcome that from me.” He smiled in a way that made his eyes look sad. “I thought making you happy would be the most I would ever get.”

Allura digested that and shook her head.

“But how could I not want you?” she asked. “You are so noble and so _good_. Even after all you have suffered, you shoulder still more just to make the burden lighter for others. And you are still _kind_. I have no idea how you are who you are, but I will always be grateful that you are and that you are here.”

Shiro’s hands dropped from her face. His eyes slammed shut. “I don’t see myself that way,” he said.

This time Allura reached out. She touched his face, felt the soft pick of stubble on his check and traced the line of his scar across his nose. It wasn’t actually a  _cellica_ mark, but Allura thought of it like one.

“I know,” she said. Because, as impossible as it seemed, Shiro struggled constantly with understanding just how important he was to everyone around him. “But that’s the way I see you,” she continued. “I was afraid to admit the truth depth of my feelings for so long. Even to myself. I was afraid it was pointless. What am I compared to you?”

Shiro’s eyes flew open. He surged forward again, grabbing her shoulders. “ _Everything_ ,” he said fiercely. “You’re everything, Allura.”

“Everything?” repeated Allura faintly.

“ _Absolutely_.”

The fire in Shiro’s eyes was impossible to argue with. He was holding her, had kissed her, looked at her like she was the center of the universe. Allura snuck a hand over his shoulders, and he only stepped closer. And yet…

“I still don’t understand,” confessed Allura. “Earth customs are so confusing. If you do not want to marry me then what do you want?”

Shiro blinked for a moment. He ducked his head. “We could date?” he said as if scared that was the wrong answer. “Uh, get to know each other. Develop a relationship…”

“Oh! Courting!” said Allura. “So Earthlings _do_ have some kind of courtship!”

“Um, yeah,” said Shiro. Something flashed in his eyes, and he started laughing. “No, most of us do _not_ get engaged to be married after only a week of knowing each other. You shouldn’t take all your pointers on Earth culture from romantic comedies.”

Allura pouted. “How was I supposed to know?” But Shiro was too close for her to be properly upset and still laughing. She considered the man before her.

"How long do Earthlings normally ‘date’ before getting engaged?”

“Uh, it varies a lot. Normally at least a year. Some people do a lot longer.”

“A year, then,” said Allura decisively. “And then we discuss getting married?”

Shiro looked shocked again. “You…you’re really serious about this,” he said faintly.

“I was willing to marry you,” Allura reminded him, though the misunderstanding of it all still made her stomach twist uncomfortably.

Allura was looking down so she was taken completely by surprise when Shiro kissed her again, swift, light. Her eyes shot up with a wordless question.

“I’m still in shock,” Shiro explained. “It might take me a little bit to get where you are. But I wanted you to know I’m happy about this. I’m…so happy. I never thought you would feel the same way.”

“Neither did I,” said Allura. “When I found out you cared for me—Well, I suppose I got a bit confused and I didn’t really—”

Shiro pulled her close to him. “But we’re on the same page now.”

Allura exhaled. “We’re on the same page now.” She was finally able to breathe again, and the joy she had been anticipating was bubbling up at long last. She looped her arms around Shiro’s neck. “So tell me,” she said, smile turning teasing. “Exactly how much kissing goes along with this ‘dating’?”

“How much do you want?” asked Shiro already leaning forward.

Allura suspected she might be able to make Shiro regret that statement at some point. But for now she simply appreciated having the man she loved in her arms at last and kissed him deeply.    
  


_Two months later_

“Uh, Shiro, not to open a can of worms again, but you didn’t use to have that bracelet, did you?” said Hunk.

Shiro lifted his right hand were sat a band that looked like a bit like braided fiber optics with a flat, metal clasp. “Oh yeah. Allura gave it me. She thought it might help balance my quintessence is this arm.”

“Oh, cool! Does it actually change the quintessence level or just rearrange them? What’s it made of? Can I check it out?” spewed Pidge.

 “Sure,” said Shiro, surrendering his arm to Pidge. He returned to his breakfast left handed while Pidge spun his bracelet around his wrist, examining how it was put together. Keith and Lance were arguing over whether said breakfast counted as Space Toast or Space Pancakes, so no one noticed when Coran’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head and he hissed, “ _Princess,canIhaveaword?_ ” in a high, strangled voice.

No one but Allura that is.

Coran was going almost before the door shut behind them.

“Princess, WHAT is that on Shiro’s wrist back there?”

“A bracelet,” answered Allura calmly. “I thought it would help sooth the quintessence imbalances the Galra left with the arm.”

“Quintessence imbalances, my boot! Now listen here, I have been the galaxy a time or two so don’t think I don’t recognize an Intended when I see one and let me tell you, young lady—!”

“Coran,” said Allura. She folded her arms over her chest. “Is it really so bad if I want Shiro to be my _kavaresh_?”

Coran huffed loudly. “I suppose you could do worse.”

Allura glared.

“All right. And you’d be hard pressed to do any better,” he grumbled. “But, Princess, you need to be careful. I don’t think the Earthlings know about quintessence mixing and Shiro especially seems to have no idea—”

“I’ll explain it to him,” promised Allura. “You don’t need to worry about it.”

“Just so long as you know what you’re doing. I don’t want to see you get hurt, Princess.”

Allura softened. “Thank you, Coran. I do appreciate how you look out for me.”

“Of course, Princess,” said Coran. “Now, if you would ever _listen_ to me…”

Allura just laughed. Coran made his way back into the breakfast area. Keith had joined Pidge poking at Shiro’s new bracelet while Shiro was now engrossed in some conversation with Hunk and Lance. Yeah, he had no idea. It wasn’t that Allura had _lied_ , but…

Turnabout was fair play after all.

And if the bracelet signified to anyone with quintessence sensitivity that he was hers and she was his—Well.

It wasn’t as if it that wasn’t something he didn’t know already.

**Author's Note:**

> I always feel like Shallura doesn't get enough fun in the ship. This is an attempt to rectify that. The story is entirely written out, and I will posting as I get the chapters in a condition ready for posting. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated!! <3


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